If you value people who are older—and also your own aging—these entries will help you rejoice in the fullness of this stage of life: its gritty realities, secret joys, hidden spirituality and cherished moments—reasons to be grateful that old age is always a gift from God!
(Today something a little different: My take on an imagined conversation with you, consisting of questions—and answers—that we might engage if we were sitting around a quiet fire with a cup of hot chocolate and leftover Christmas goodies. What’s virtual trying to find what’s virtuous…?) YOU: So, Bob… I read your blogs and wonder how much of your writing is AI-dependent? ME: Surely you jest. I’veMORE...
(Recently I wandered through the New Non-Fiction section of our local library, and happened on this new book by Northwestern University political science professor Wendy Pearlman. I thought it would be a scholarly treatise about Syrian refugees and the concept of home. Instead, the book has both troubled and encouraged me about what some of us might face in the coming political landscape. I’mMORE...
(Today’s entry may be one example of the sonder phenomenon I named in a previous blog. My realization here: How many people around me are quietly carrying agonies of body, soul or spirit, in ways that deserve my response.) Ribbons tied around trees…. In our locale, they’re yellow and red, helping us remember the sadness of a high schooler’s death in an auto accident, and a young man dealing withMORE...
(“Field Notes” feels like a good way to characterize or capture what I learn in the moments when I’m out and about, nibbling at the edges of the Spirit’s revelations. Today’s notes assemble around sonder….) Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Chris and I took an Amtrak train to Minneapolis. While waiting to board for the return trip, we got into an enjoyable personal conversation with two otherMORE...
(I’m still noodling about how best to take positive, effective actions to meet the challenges of the coming days in our nation’s history. Today another thought, arising from Hebrews 10:24. “Let us consider how to *provoke one another to love and good deeds.” [NRSV]) Buried in the middle of Lectionary 33 (the 26th Sunday after Pentecost, Cycle B), the sentence above encourages one way of thinkingMORE...
Footnotes for “Holy Spirit as normal” (To expand the subject just a bit, here are the background thoughts that framed my recent blog about the Holy Spirit. Yes, this matter might be bigger than at first meets the writing/reading eye….) Uncertain times – A newer form of biblical interpretation proposes that much of Scripture was authored, proclaimed and taught in times of great societal stress—aMORE...
In these uncertain times, it’s comforting to think of the Spirit as Great Surpriser, or Master of the Unexpected. When we least anticipate her, the Holy Ghost visits our work tables and emotional perches, offering the welcome grace of sudden rescue, motivation or inspiration. A wonderful feature of Trinitarian theology, this view of the Spirit’s role can foster both hope and gratitude. But whatMORE...
For as long as I can remember—at both a professional and personal level—I’ve fretted about the matter of living a Christ-like life in the middle of a culture that’s perhaps not always righteous. I’m aware that both contexts—Christ and culture—can lay claim on my identity, my priorities, my values. Just a few days ago, a perhaps-helpful metaphor came to mind: That my lifestyle and identity mightMORE...
Over my years of elderhood, I’ve noticed that some of us may have lost some of our abilities to empathize with others. This certainly isn’t a phenomenon seen among just older adults, but it feels unseemly, maybe even pitiable for those of us who are elders. What have I noticed? Older adults who behave as if they’ve forgotten that other people exist in their immediate physical surroundings. WhoMORE...
(Perhaps like you, I’ve been startled by the results of the recent national elections. After trying to parse what may have happened, I realized that it could be more helpful to think about what might lie ahead. That frame of mind could be more hopeful/courageous and thus more motivating. What follows are my ruminations about how I might purposefully approach a future that right now looks ominousMORE...
BOB SITZE has filled the many years of his lifework in diverse settings around the United States. His calling has included careers as a teacher/principal, church musician, writer/author, denominational executive staff member and meat worker. Bob lives in Wheaton, IL.